What To Look for In School Laptops and Tablets

These days, picking a college is easier than picking a computer to bring to class.

With all the enticing selections and seemingly indispensable bells and whistles, it’s difficult – okay, almost impossibly – to decipher the cool features from the truly must-have attributes that are essential for functioning efficiently in college.

So with the incessant computer and tablet sales bonanzas surrounding college students like sharks circling their prey in water, how can you cut through the advertorial clutter and just get what you need for school?

Here are some of the most important considerations to weigh as you select your computers and tablets for school.

Tablets

It’s no secret that tabletsare immensely popular with undergrads, routinely proving preferable to laptops. But when it comes to selecting a tablet, the choice among an Android, iOS, or Windows-powered tablet is actually less important than the storage capacity of the device and the apps you ultimately choose to install.

While Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung could each put on a clinic outlining why their respective products are superior, what’s most important for students to understand is that a tablet – almost any tablet, in fact – can be used efficiently and effectively in an academic setting. From digital textbooks and touchscreen note-taking features, to time management apps and extreme portability, the most basic of tablets can always be beneficial to students.

That being said, the latest and greatest tablet isn’t necessarily the best choice either. The second generation iPad, in fact, remains incredibly popular with incoming college freshmen. Not only is it cheaper than the iPad 4, the embellishments offered by the current generation model that are lacking in the iPad 2 are largely insignificant to students.

So if you’re looking for a tablet on a budget, consider an older or refurbished model.

Laptops

Though they’ve lost some ground to their tablet counterparts in recent years, laptops remain a mainstay of the college experience. And with good reason.

While heavier than most tablets, laptops generally remain featherweight and easy to tote around. However, weight is still an important factor to consider, with most experts asserting that a laptop weighing less than 5 pounds and measuring no more than 14? is ideal.

Ultimately, what’s even more significant than weight and screen size is battery life. In your dorm, you’ll have access to an outlet. In class, a library, or the coffee shop on campus, access to electricity may be restricted. Only in these moments will you realize how important a long-lasting battery is. Although you already know to sift through the reviews of any laptop you may purchase, pay careful consideration to comments on battery life.

Lastly, don’t worry too much about - or pay too much for – state-of-the-art screen resolution. If you’re an avid gamer or movie watcher, the improved picture is definitely nice. But if you’re trying to keep your purchase below a certain price point, knocking screen resolution down a peg or two on your list of priorities could save you a considerable sum, especially since reading and writing remain a laptop’s primary functions in college.

A ‘Word’ About Add-Ons

Time and time again, it’s one of the biggest mistakes college students make when first buying a laptop or tablet. Although buying Microsoft Office or any Adobe products before school starts seems like a good idea, this very expensive software is often, in comparison, offered dirt cheap on campus through commonplace student discount programs. Frequently, those who wait to purchase the software until arriving on campus often save enough to recoup most of their investment in a tablet or laptop.